


hold me in the quiet | ballum

by lockedinmybody



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Caretaking, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-13 03:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19242472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockedinmybody/pseuds/lockedinmybody
Summary: callum discovers ben is sick, and visits him to check if he's okay.





	hold me in the quiet | ballum

Callum knows he hasn’t succeeded in distancing himself from Ben when he starts to worry after four days.

He didn’t know whether them bumping into each other since that night in the park was coincidence or chance, but it had become something he expected every day, and even looked forward to, weirdly. But then it stops happening. And he doesn’t see Ben at all, not even from far away somewhere.

He’s at the café getting a coffee during his break when he overhears Ben’s mum talking to Tina. “Well you know what he’s like, says he can handle it all on his own. We all get ill, don’t we? I’d pop over there but I can barely get away to the loo for five seconds with the bar and everything.” Before Callum can really think about what he’s doing, he asks Tina to add a cup of soup to his order and patiently waits, trying to calm his nerves.

The curtain’s to Ben’s place are all drawn, and Callum balances the soup on his knee to grab his phone out of his pocket.  
_Can you open the door?_  
A minute later, Callum hears steps coming down the stairs, and then Ben cracks the door open a tiny bit.

He’s wearing joggers, a T-shirt and his glasses. His hair is completely rumpled, and his eyes squeeze against the outside light. “Yes?” He croaks, giving Callum an expectant look.

“I, eh,” Callum clears his throat, “I’ve brought you this.” He holds the soup up. Ben looks at it and then looks back up to Callum with a small smile. “And what have I done to deserve this?” He opens the door fully and lets Callum walk in, which he does. His voice sounds nasal and scratchy. Callum shrugs, once Ben stands before him in the hallway. “You’re ill.” Ben nods with an amusing look on his face. “Well observed. You’re not my keeper though.” He takes the soup from Callum and walks to the kitchen to heat it up. Callum follows.

“I hadn’t had any snarky comments thrown in my face in a few days, and I started wondering where you were.” Callum says, watching as Ben pours the cup into a small pan and turns the stove on. He turns around and leans against the kitchen counter, rubbing a hand over his face. “That’s what I contribute to your life, is it?” Callum is surprised at how lighthearted everything is between them, despite the fact that doing what he’s doing now definitely feels like breaking some kind of unspoken agreement they have. “Mostly, yes.” Callum nods solemnly, and Ben just looks at him for a moment, and then smiles.

Genuinely smiles, cheeks puffing up and teeth showing. He looks tired, but content for a moment, and Callum can feel his stomach do that weird fluttery thing again. He smiles back, some sort of joke they’re both in on. Callum knows that he’s always attracted to Ben, but it’s confirmed when he sees Ben out of his leather jacket and instead in a clearly unwell state, and can still feel his hands itching to reach out. Ben yawns and ruffles a hand through his hair, fingers pushing back against the part of his glasses that sits over the bridge of his nose, and there’s something about this more vulnerable side of Ben, who doesn’t seem even slighty bothered by the fact that Callum is seeing him like this, that draws Callum in even further.

“Is it chicken?” Ben asks, the smell now wafting through the air as the soup warms up. Callum hums, and Ben turns the stove off and pours the soup into a bowl. He sets the bowl down and puts his hands on the counter for a second, head bowing. “Y'alright?” Callum asks, frowning. “Yeah, lightheaded.” Ben replies, voice quiet.

Callum hesitates for a moment but then steps forward, placing a hand on Ben’s back, and he slowly straightens up. Callum leaves his hand there, looking at Ben, who looks back at him with grateful eyes. “You’re really stupid for coming here,” Ben says, in a tone that suggests the words are the sweetest compliment he could pay a lover. “I know,” Callum agrees, face soft around the edges, and he grabs the bowl as he gently pushes Ben towards the living room, where he slowly sits down on the couch.

When Ben is comfortably seated, a discarded blanket now over his lap, Callum remains standing, looking around the room. “Anything else I can do?” Ben lifts one part of the blanket. “Watch a movie with me?” Callum presses his lips together, and Ben keeps his gaze on him. He might be imagining it, but Ben’s cheeks seem rosier. “No one’s gonna be here for ages.” Ben adds, and Callum takes his blazer off and throws it onto a chair.

Ben finishes his soup, and Callum is more convinced with every greedy spoonful that goes in, that Ben hasn’t eaten much in the past few days. Callum keeps seeing Ben’s eyes slipping shut in his peripheral vision, head falling forward, and after a few minutes he moves an arm around Ben’s shoulders and gently guides him closer and down, Ben’s head now resting in Callum’s lap, his legs tucked under him. He takes a moment to settle and then looks up at Callum, a shy smile on his face, and Callum leans forward, gently kissing his forehead. He moves a hand through Ben’s hair, and he keeps doing that whilst watching a movie he’s not remotely interested in. When he looks down again ten minutes later, Ben’s fast asleep. Callum can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!  
> you can also find me on [tumblr](https://softlofty.tumblr.com/) :)


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